Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

A sex difference in the human brain and its relation to transsexuality

Nature volume 378, pages 68–70 (1995)Cite this article

Abstract

TRANSSEXUALS have the strong feeling, often from childhood onwards, of having been born the wrong sex. The possible psycho-genie or biological aetiology of transsexuality has been the subject of debate for many years1,2. Here we show that the volume of the central subdivision of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTc), a brain area that is essential for sexual behaviour3,4, is larger in men than in women. A female-sized BSTc was found in male-to-female transsexuals. The size of the BSTc was not influenced by sex hormones in adulthood and was independent of sexual orientation. Our study is the first to show a female brain structure in genetically male transsexuals and supports the hypothesis that gender identity develops as a result of an interaction between the developing brain and sex hormones5,6.

This is a preview of subscription content

Access options

Buy article

Get time limited or full article access on ReadCube.

$32.00

Buy

All prices are NET prices.

References

  1. Money, J. & Gaskin, R. J. Int. J. Psychiatry 9, 249 (1970/71).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Gooren, L. J. G. Psychoneuroendocrinology 15, 3–14 (1990).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Kawakami, M. & Kimura, F. Endocrinol. Jap. 21, 125–130 (1974).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Emery, D. E. & Sachs, B. D. Physiol. Behav. 17, 803–806 (1976).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Editorials Lancet 338, 603–604 (1991).

  6. Swaab, D. F. & Hofman, M. A. Trends Neurosci. 18, 264–270 (1995).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Money, J., Schwartz, M. & Lewis, V. G. Psychoneuroendocrinology 9, 405–414 (1984).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Sheridan, P. J. Endocrinology 104, 130–136 (1979).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Commins, D. & Yahr, D. J. comp. Neurol. 231, 473–489 (1985).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Jakab, R. L., Horvath, T. L., Leranth, C., Harada, N. & Naftolin, F. J. Steroid Biochem. molec. Biol. 44, 481–498 (1993).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Eiden, E. L., Hökfelt, T., Brownstein, M. J. & Palkovits, M. Neuroscience 15, 999–1013 (1985).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  12. De Olmos, J. S. in The Human Nervous System (ed. Paxinos, G.) 597–710 (Academic, San Diego, 1990).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Woodhams, P. L., Roberts, G. W., Polak, J. M. & Crow, T. J. Neuroscience 8, 677–703 (1983).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Simerly, R. B. Trends Neurosci. 13, 104–110 (1990).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Arluison, M. et al. Brain Res. Bull. 34, 319–337 (1994).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Bleier, R., Byne, W. & Siggelkow, I. J. comp. Neurol. 212, 118–130 (1982).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Del Abril, A., Segovia, S. & Guillamón, A. Devl Brain Res. 32, 295–300 (1987).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Guillamón, A., Segovia, S. & Del Abril, A. Devl Brain Res. 44, 281–290 (1988).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Allen, L. A. & Gorski, R. A. J. comp. Neurol. 302, 697–706 (1990).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Walter, A., Mai, J. K., Lanta, L. & Görcs, T. J. Chem. Neuroanat. 4, 281–298 (1991).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Claro, F., Segovia, S., Guilamón, A. & Del Abril, A. Brain Res. Bull. 36, 1–10 (1995).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Simerly, R. B. & Swanson, L. W. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 84, 2087–2091 (1987).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  23. De Vries, G. J. N. Neuroendocr. 20, 1–13 (1990).

    Google Scholar 

  24. Pilgrim, C. & Reisert, I. Horm. metab. Res. 24, 353–359 (1992).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Swaab, D. F., Zhou, J. N., Ehlhart, T. & Hofman, M. A. Brain. Res. 79, 249–259 (1994).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Zhou, J. N., Hofman, M. A. & Swaab, D. F. Neurobiol. Aging 16, 571–576 (1995).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Zhou, J. N., Hofman, M. A. & Swaab, D. F. Brain Res. 672, 285–288 (1995).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Swaab D. F. & Hofman, M. A. Brain Res. 537, 141–148 (1990).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Dick F. Swaab: To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Affiliations

  1. Graduate School Neurosciences Amsterdam, Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, Meibergdreef 33, 1105, AZ Amsterdam ZO, The Netherlands

    Jiang-Ning Zhou, Michel A. Hofman & Dick F. Swaab

  2. Department of Endocrinology, Free University Hospital, 1007, MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Louis J. G. Gooren

Authors
  1. Jiang-Ning Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michel A. Hofman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Louis J. G. Gooren
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Dick F. Swaab
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhou, JN., Hofman, M., Gooren, L. et al. A sex difference in the human brain and its relation to transsexuality. Nature 378, 68–70 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/378068a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/378068a0

Further reading

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing